Stockholm, Sweden

Our cruise ship anchored off the coast of Nynashamn, Sweden and from there we were tendered ashore and transferred by coach into Stockholm where we met our tour guide.  It was a short drive up to Fjallgatan for a panoramic overview of the city. 

Then through Gamla Stan, the enchanting "Old Town."

We got to view the Royal Palace and the Royal Dramatic Theater as we drove to the island of Djurgarden, a favorite getaway spot for Stockholm residents and home of the Vasa Museum.

The Vasa Museum is home to the Swedish warship Vasa, once considered the pride of Sweden's navy. The present museum is built around the restored 17th century warship, which sank in Stockholm's inner harbor on her maiden voyage in 1628. It was salvaged in 1961, with more than 12,000 objects on board and is one of the most important events in marine archaeology. We found it to be a really fascinating museum, one of our favourites even... and that's saying something because we've seen a lot of museums in the last couple years!

The basement of the museum held all the skeletal remains salvaged from inside the ship.  Each display contained forensic information relating to cause of death, what that person's diet was like, their age, and various other interesting facts.

Upstairs from the Vasa was a re-creation of the inside of the ship that kids enjoyed climbing around in.

There were also some interesting displays of what the Vasa looked like in its original painted form as well as a display about its salvage from the sea.

When we came out of the Vasa Museum (about mid-day) there was a 2-hour queue just to get tickets.  Our guide said that time can easily double during the busy summer months... So if you plan to visit this remarkable place, get their early!

We continued on our tour to Östermalm, a fashionable neighborhood of stately apartment buildings, then on to Sergel's Torg, a square that is the focal point of modern Stockholm.

Then south past the Parliament Building and the House of Nobility en route back to the ship.